10 hurt, including 6 children, in head-on crash near Stratford

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Six children are in hospital — one in critical condition — after a serious head-on crash near Stratford Sunday evening.

Paramedics believe the vehicles involved, a van and two-door car, were each carrying a family when they collided along what appears to be a pin-straight stretch of Embro Road in rural Perth County around the dinner hour.

In total, 10 people are hurt: two adults and one child in the car, and two adults and five children in the van, said Cliff Eggleton, deputy chief of Perth County EMS.

All the children are younger than 10.

One person in each vehicle, a child and an adult, was left in critical condition, Eggleton said, and were flown to London hospital. The other eight were driven to Stratford for treatment, two of whom were in serious condition.

Two Ornge ambulance helicopters were sent from London and Toronto to the scene, a rare move.

It's not known where the families are from.

The call came in at about 6 p.m., about an hour before paramedics on duty were to change shifts. There were 12 paramedics, including some from Oxford County, and a commander on the scene.

The sheer number of people injured was stressful but it was magnified by the fact that most were children, Eggleton suggested.

"We had Hampstead (which killed 11 people) – this sounds like this will have better outcomes, thank God – but it is overwhelming. Everyone worked as a team and did a great job," Eggleton said.

He lauded the performance of Ornge staff, firefighters and Oxford County OPP police officers as well.

Perth East Fire Chief Bill Hunter said the Sebringville Station responded to the crash with four trucks and 13 firefighters. They had to use the jaws of life to free some of the victims, he confirmed.

"Calls like today are the ones we prepare for technically, but it is the mental and emotional impact that can be tough," Hunter said.

"I'm very proud of the way my firefighters handle themselves..."

First responders who attended the crash will be monitored to make sure they get stress management help if they need it.

Maxine Watson lives on Embro Road and has witnessed several crashes in front of her property. This one was a bit further down but she knows the road well. She's been advocating for a roundabout to reduce speed and crashes.

She can see how a head-on collision could happen on the section of road where the crash occurred.

"There's a sneaky hill there," she said. "There's been trouble there before."

The road looks flat, but there's a drop. When drivers pull out to pass, they think they're seeing clearly but they aren't because of that drop, she explained.

Police are still investigating, but it's not yet clear what caused the collision. Even so, Watson is convinced the road needs a roundabout to reduce the number of collisions.